Article by Kaitlin Sellner. Photos by Kaitlin Sellner.
On Wednesday night, Feb. 19, St. Cloud State students gathered in the Atwood Ballroom to paint together, chatting over drinks and paint cups. At the front of the room vice president of the Art Student Union Skylar Pierce guided attendees through a paint-along, featuring a wisteria-laden stone bridge overlooking a scenic riverbed. Pierce, supported by her fellow club officers Secretary Sean Kelley and Treasurer Samantha Christie, oversaw the rendering of dozens of faithful attempts to recreate the scene. Though their club president, Hana Nichols, was unable to attend herself, she had a key role to play in the night’s event.
“Hana came up with the actual painting and the tutorial following it,” Pierce explained after the step-by-step lesson concluded. “I really like this piece, it takes me back to when I was doing stuff with acrylic, honestly, when I was younger.”
Though the Art Student Union led the tutorial, the event itself was held in a joint effort between the Art Student Union and the Huskies Events and Activities Team, HEAT.
“They wanted to know if we wanted to collaborate,” Treasurer Christie said, “I thought it was a great idea, especially because we’re with the art department,” which certainly qualified them to take the lead in instructing the students.
Arina Kisteneva is the program adviser for HEAT, and was present Wednesday night for setup, takedown, and other tasks associated with hosting the occasion. She and her team helped provide participating students with art supplies like paints, brushes, canvases, and wash cups.
Student work by anonymous artist.
“…One of our main goals is to help students to be, to feel welcome on campus.” Kisteneva said, and proceeded to explain how HEAT is ever facilitating in student engagement on campus. HEAT is best known for hosting activities like the Welcome Back Carnival, the Huskies Late Skate, and Atwood After Dark. They are no strangers to holding large-scale student events, and thanks to their experience, the Student Art Union got an opportunity to share their love for art and creation with a broader audience.
“It’s great to have a further reach with more students,” Christie added.
Kisteneva went on to share that students at St. Cloud State seemed to really enjoy crafting events.
“It was so popular,” she reminisced, recalling the high student engagement at a previous Atwood After Dark event that gave students the opportunity to paint on pumpkins.
Anika Hall is one of these creative students, who came to Sip and Paint because of her enjoyment of painting.
Student work by Anika Hall.
“I thought it would be fun, and a way to get out of the house.” The free refreshments were a welcome bonus. When asked if she would go to another event like Sip and Paint, she said, “Yes!”
Hall was among the students who took a stab at their own take of the bridge scene. Some students took their creativity to the next level and added their own modifications to the serene landscape.
“Someone had a dinosaur on their bridge,” Treasurer Christie exclaimed, “It was super cute!”
Others took it even further, creating completely different scenes, encouraged by their creativity to make new and completely original pieces. Brother and sister Daniel and Oluwaseun Awoyemi created their own nature scenes, along with many others who were eager to flex their artistic skills.
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